Linode vs. distribution kernel
Other than the obvious of having the latest Linux kernel, is there any other benefit to using the Linode-built kernels instead of the distribution-supplied version?
Are they somehow optimised for Linode hardware?
Any likely drawbacks or incompatibilities using the latest kernel in an older distribution, like Ubuntu 18.04?
2 Replies
You write:
Other than the obvious of having the latest Linux kernel, is there any other benefit to using the Linode-built kernels instead of the distribution-supplied version?
Linode tests the ones they supply?
Unless you're doing something pretty whiz-bang, inventing a new kind of networking or writing drivers, the kernel version really shouldn't matter to you. I do mostly server-oriented stuff that would probably work unchanged on kernel version 2.5.
Most of the places that offer shared hosting are stuck in that world…because their CPanel or WHM licenses & support agreements demand it.
-- sw
bbigger
Linode Staff
A big benefit of using Linode's built-in kernels is convenience: automatic updates on reboot when set to us the "latest" build and easy roll-backs to prior versions if desired. They don't provide performance benefits over distribution-supplied kernels, but as @stevewi mentioned we thoroughly test them for issues before updating the "latest" build, so you may find them more stable.
There are some drawbacks: distribution-supplied kernels may support features that Linode's kernels won't (like SELinux).
You'll find a trail of increasingly more detailed information in this post: https://www.linode.com/community/questions/17737/which-kernel-to-choose#answer-67976